When Springfield scored the #4 slot on Country Home magazine's list of "2007 Best Green Cities in America," we wrote about Springfield's opportunity to turn "green" into gold. This morning, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced the next step in capitalizing on the distinction: a one-day symposium called Springfield: Green City Forum. The forum -- a cooperative effort between the City of Springfield, Western New England College, and the University of Massachusetts -- will be held at CityStage on Friday, April 4. Registration is $75, and $30 for students and municipal employees; sign up online at the Spirit of Springfield's Web site.

Lectures include "Why Green Cities?", by Urban Forester Dr. David Nowak; "Green Buildings for Municipalities," by Paul Fisette, of the UMass Department of Natural Resources Conservation; "Greening and Environmental Law," by WNEC Professor of Law Dr. Jamison E. Colburn; and "Renaissance of the American Industrial City," by Dr. John Mullin. Mullin is Director of the Center for Economic Development at UMass.

Patrick J. Sullivan, executive director of Springfield Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management, came up with the idea for the forum after hearing about the Country Home list. He pitched it to Spirit of Springfield president Judith A. Matt. "Pat Sullivan brought the idea to me and we brought it to the mayor, and he loved it," Matt said.

In an effort to build collaboration throughout the region, Sarno is inviting officials from other Pioneer Valley cities and towns to attend the forum for free. "It's all about communication and getting together and starting to interface and interact," Matt said. "That's why I wanted the mayor to open this up to everyone, so that we can all be sharing in on the same expertise at the same time, so we can all take our steps together."

In the Country Home list, Springfield was cited for its preservation of green space; its state-of-the-art recycling center; its watershed quality; and its numerous farmers markets. To Sarno, these are just stepping-off points toward a broader vision of the city's economic future. "What I see as the next frontier [...] is this delving together of 'green' and the arts," Sarno told me.

The "green" movement and the arts community share many sensibilities, Sarno explained. Moreover, fostering the city's "green" potential may invite three things Springfield needs in order to move forward: belief in the city, young talent, and long-term capital commitment.

"I'm looking to build upon Governor Patrick's initiatives as he looks to promote more ideas that are green, that are socially and environmentally conscious -- as an economic development tool here in the city of Springfield," Sarno said. "Make it a hub. Make it the center of the state." By positioning Springfield as this type of "green" nexus, Sarno believes, jobs and industry will follow.

If green thinking can deliver the jobs, the arts can deliver what appears to be Sarno's current favorite catchphrase: "bodies downtown." Creating a vibrant urban center will help encourage the increased residential density that small businesses need to survive. "We can roll out the red carpet to bring in the appropriate businesses, and say, 'We have a pocket demographic down here that is going to patronize you'," Sarno said. "I'm looking to get bodies -- bodies into our downtown. With bodies come the intangibles of public safety."

Over the next few minutes, Sarno catalogued the successes of Springfield's cultural events, and reflected on the potential of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Taking a cue from Cooperstown, he hopes to create a "Court of Dreams," a network of indoor and outdoor riverfront courts that could be used for tournaments and clinics.

Eventually, he paused. "But all these things -- they're all grandiose plans without continued press," he concluded.

Grandiose, perhaps, but also the type of thinking the city needs in order to stop seeing itself as a victim and start acting like a leader.

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For more, listen to WAMC's report, which includes excellent information about the city's efforts to install more efficient boilers in municipal buildings.